I have to admit to having heard about the SNAP! conference  just a couple of years ago. Living in Canada and now owning a 5 star B & B my design career took me to the CHA (Craft and Hobby Show) in January and that was the extent of my current travel. Seeing several other Designer members were attending SNAP! I looked into it last year and had an epiphany, this was the conference with the tag line Cook. Create. Celebrate. That is my life, I own a B & B, I cook for my guests and family. We host many special events and celebrations which I decorate for. I am Design and Social Media Co-ordinator for Kunin Felt and along with ten grandlittles I am creating every day! I knew this year that I had to attend! Besides I have the best friends and the wonderful Laura Kelly said come share our room.

I had been wanting to rebrand myself somewhat and start a new blog. When, well three weeks before SNAP! So here is my fourth post. :) My website is home, I still have my other blog here as well. This Making & Celebrating Heart, Home & Holidays is me. It is my life everyday. I love making people happy, I love to inspire and to share!

More Serendipity, Chinet is the main sponsor for SNAP! We do use real china for breakfast with the guests and other special events but we use Chinet's products for many occasions here. We have ten grandlittles and five children all with spouses or partners, then there are all the other family and friends who come and go for birthdays and holidays. We have a pantry with Chinet products for those big family celebrations. Their products are sturdy and attractive and save time both in preparation and clean up which is very much appreciated!

Many summer days are spent outside enjoying lunch. We get to do this and clean up quick.

Then we get to do this, on our way to another fun summer outing!

I can hardly wait to attend SNAP! in a couple weeks and connect with an amazing group of creative bloggers!

Keep making & celebrating!

My creative career as taken me to the US on many trips to conferences and tradeshows over the past few years. It was partly because of all the travel I was ready to spend more time at home. Opening a B&B was certainly a way to do that. I also wanted to combine my love of cooking and decorating into my career as well. Next month a bigger dream comes true and that is hosting a Creative retreat with five amazing craft stars and my friends!

The QH Creative Retreat is two days of workshops with the amazing Cheryl Boglili, Eileen Hull, Laura Kelly, Lorine Mason and Marie Browning! They are all staying at Quartermain House along with Scotty of the Paper Trail and Glinda the Glamper, vintage campers parked in the yard. They all agreed in a heartbeat to come and share their talent so that many of the creative people in my area can attend their workshops. The weekend begins with a Welcome Reception Friday night and continues with full and half day workshops, lunch, candy bar, open market and doodling with Laura, tours of Scotty and Glinda. Last year Cheryl came for the weekend and taught nearby, this year five Craft Stars! We are going to have a creative blast! Register here:

We are also very excited to have these wonderful companies as our sponsors: Sizzix, Beacon Adhesives, Kunin Felt, Tombow, Deflecto

Here we are last year with Glinda the Glamper.

Keep making and celebrating!

My B&B hosts many guests who are involved with the University, a ten minute walk away. This week I have had a marine biologist from a very warm climate and two paleontologists as guests. When the two latter guests were booked the description was Paleo and as I always make notes as to my guests dietary requirements I was thinking of course Paleo diet. I greet my guest warmly and remark on her diet, she replies she is a paleontologist and actually does not eat meat. We both enjoyed the moment and the breakfast menu was revised somewhat. :)

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal to make. After a good night's sleep, the first meal of the day is very important.  Setting the tone for the day, fire on in the dining room, cloth napkins, pretty dishes, centerpiece. Soft background music. Creating an experience for whomever sits at my table.

I always like to start with a fresh fruit dish, since many of our mornings are cold or cool, it is usually a warm fruit dish like Braised Maple Pears with Strawberries and a touch of cinnamon. I always use local butter, maple syrup and local fruit as much as I can. (We have very long winters here.)

For this dish I halve and core a pear. Hull and halve six strawberries for each pear. Place a pan on low heat, melt a tablespoon of butter. Add pears to pan, sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon. Turn pears for about two minutes. Cover pan for five minutes. This also depends on ripeness of pears. Uncover pears, add maple syrup. Now I never actually measure but am thinking about 1/4 cup. Turm heat up slightly let caramelize lightly. Throw in strawberries for 1 minute. Plate and serve. Yum, delicious, tasty are the usual reactions from my guests. My reaction Happy! TIP Always warm plates, I keep mine at the back of the stove top.

This first course is accompanied by a fresh baked pastry or muffin. Main course is an egg dish along with a side of bacon or sausage, toast and local preserves. Juices, tea, coffee accompany the meal.

Cinnamon Apple Souffle

Guests sit down at the table as strangers and most often the conversation begins to flow as the coffee is served and then the magic happens. No matter where people are from there is always something significant they have in common. This sparks connections, friendships and memories. We have had guests from Saudi Arabia, Asian guests from California and Canadian guests who stayed for a couple days. The delightful Asian guests taught English to others immigrating and they all left as good friends with English lessons set up by Skype with our guests from Saudi Arabia.

Another American guest came looking for her roots and our local guests from the northern part of the province through conversation at breakfast came to the realization the two women were related! This led to them spending the day together and ending it under the stars by the river that evening as we watched the eclipse all together.

Breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day especially around here.

Where to begin, a brand new blog, first post. "Home is where the Heart is, so I begin at home. I live in a one hundred and seventy five year old heritage house. My home has a front parlor where we host tea parties, showers and weddings or you can also as easily find lego or blocks stacked when the ten grandlittles are around. It is also a 5 star B&B, often guests are wandering through taking photos or face timing with family on the other side of the world. Ah yes there are many photos of me in my apron, fly away hair after four hours in the kitchen next to a beaming guest. So worth it :)

This month the parlor is decorated for Spring and Easter. I like to mix items I have with some holiday specific items. The largest DIY project for this setting was recovering an old chair of my Mom's. I also love birds, this fabric was perfect. First I sanded the wood and then applied chalk paint. Once dry I sanded the edges.

I am not a professional upholsterer by any means but I am an avid DIYer. So with sharp scissors and a bottle of Beacon's Fabri-tac I cut and glued. The results I am quite pleased with. A couple of tips, make a template with an old sheet, or fabric scrap. Clip in the corners and turn edges under. Adding some braid trim, I love the name Alice Braid Trim from Expo International really made the chair. Although I did not seam the chair front, adding the trim makes it look like I did.

My Mom would love her chair now she was never afraid to try something. I remember when she wallpapered the bathroom ceiling in our small bathroom. She said it was the biggest wall in the room and when in the tub it would be pretty to look at. She also loved soft pinks and blues. March is her month, she arrived and left in this month so this decor is dedicated to her.

Speaking of pink here is another vignette in the bow window.

Decorating for each season, changing decor items, rearranging the furniture pieces all contribute to a fresh feel to the room. Walking in to the room every day makes me smile. I fall in love with the house all over again with each changing season. That is what home is meant to be, where your heart belongs.

Make every day a heart felt celebration!